Well, wasn’t that eventful…?

By MarkHollis

The first foray into unknown territory is often a daunting prospect. This season, however, we found ourselves battling at the right end of table with ex-Premier League big boys for a third successive promotion and a crack at the Championship as opposed to settling for any spot outside of the bottom four. Mad? Probably. Exciting? Definitely. Unique? Certainly.

As fans, the 2011/2 season was more or less a no-lose situation with the whole footballing world expecting us to be relegation fodder from the outset. What happened though was quite the opposite and with the unexpected successes came a whole gamut of emotions.

From sheer ecstasy at some of our results, through denial and uncertainty at the whole Westley situation and finishing up with immense pride (admittedly, tinged with sadness) at what the club had achieved. Not just this season, but in the two or three that preceded it.

Of course, there’s no need to go over previous seasons, because we all know where we’ve come from, but this season alone has been one of huge achievement. We’ve been victorious in battle with eventual champions Charlton; completed a double over automatically-promoted Sheffield Wednesday; and remained undefeated (in the league anyway) against play off finalists Sheffield United.

It’s seen us rack up six goals twice – at Yeovil and Colchester; five goals twice – away at Rochdale and, of course, at home to Sheffield Wednesday; and despite early predictions, not a single game saw us on the wrong end of a result that emphatic.

It hasn’t been an entirely smooth ride, of course. The departure of Graham Westley to Preston looked set to plunge us into turmoil, until Captain Fantastic Mark Roberts stepped up to the plate, guiding the club through three matches without defeat – including that 5-1 win at Rochdale. And who could forget the 4-2 triumph over MK Dons?

Granted, there was a low point in all of this and the season certainly fell flat for a short while following the arrival of Gary Smith. A string of draws looked to have derailed our play off hopes and, as is the wont of the fan, there were sections that certainly made themselves heard.

These outbursts were mostly limited to the forum, but there were a few that made it as far as the terraces. However, undeterred the team ploughed through (with no small thanks to Brentford’s penalty takers!) to pull off a customary run of positive results when it mattered most to extend our hopes of promotion for another couple of games.

OK, so Sheffield United did in the end what they’d failed to do in the earlier league games  and nicked a winner – if we’re honest, it was a fair result over the two legs. That said, it makes it no less cruel that the blow came so late in the game.

And so it was. Our first season in League 1 ended in a paradox – it may have been extended, but it ended prematurely. And with the end of the season came the end of an era at Stevenage Football Club. In our heart of hearts, we all knew it.

It sounds melodramatic, but for me those final scenes at Bramall Lane were as poignant as any of the many triumphant scenes that preceded them. Standing in that away end all dewy eyed and tipsy – even in defeat – simply made you swell up with pride.

Witnessing our visibly broken trojan of a captain clamber through the hundreds of pitch-invading Blades fans, refuse police advice to go back down the tunnel and beckon out his team merely confirmed what we’ve all known for a long time – that the group of players we’d cherished for so long had yet again given their all to the club, the shirt and the fans.

We’ll probably never know another group like them.

The team has already been broken up with the departure of ten players. Among them, a number who never had the chance to prove their worth, along with a number we’ll associate the proudest moments of our football supporting lives.

Will anyone ever forget Stacy’s deflected opener against Newcastle? Or seeing “Mr Stevenage” Ronnie Henry race past Lawrie Wilson down the right wing?

Will we ever see another left back as adept as self proclaimed “goalscoring left back” Scott Laird when it comes to rifling in another long range effort, or near post header from a corner?

Could there ever be a more important goal than the one that Moose blazed in at Old Trafford? Or the one he scored off the bench against Carlisle to more or less end their play off challenge?

There are undoubtedly more players to follow to these lads out of the club – it’s the price you pay for punching above your weight, unfortunately – but all them, to a man, deserve our respect and our thanks for everything they’ve done for this football club.

It’s difficult to look ahead to next season, what with not knowing who’ll be pulling on the shirt but any player we sign can be assured of one thing – they’ve got some very big boots to fill.

1 thought on “Well, wasn’t that eventful…?”

  1. An excellent blog Mark, wish all the players who leave Stevenage FC, the very best, its now time for us to look forward though and put those great games you mention into the history books, we can use those great momments we all felt on the terrace to prepare us for more to come.

    Come on Boro!!!!

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